‘You know there’s a good possibility of trouble here?’ he said looking out over the vast expanse of the sea.
‘Tell me something I don’t know.’ Bill sighed.
‘Ok. Do you know that almost two thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by water? If the earth was flat then the water would cover everything in a layer two miles deep!’
Bill shook his head. ‘I’ve come to the conclusion that you are one crazy bastard. Why are you here with us Nick?’
‘Us is it now?’ Nick smiled. ‘Why are you here with us Bill?’ he countered.
‘Fuck knows!’
‘Well then fuck must be a right clever bastard, because only fuck knows why I’m here as well.’
‘Like I just said. You’re one crazy bastard.’ But Bill was smiling at Nick as he said it.
Chapter fifteen
There were six men in Brett’s salvaging team, including Brett himself. One of the other five was Mervin, who liked to think that he was second in command. In fact his real position was Brett’s main kiss ass. Brett did allow him to lead the salvaging missions sometimes though. Normally when he had something else to sort out, or if he just couldn’t be bothered to go. The other four men to make up the team were Darren, known as Dazza, Gary, predictably known as Gazza and then there was Barry. It gave Brett the chuckles every time he thought about it. Dazza, Gazza, and Bazza. Then there was also the new recruit Alex. Alex had replaced another young guy called Tom. Poor Tom had found it hard to cope with the kind of violence Brett’s team enjoyed. He now worked in the kitchen and tried to stay well out of Brett’s way.
One of the groups out last night had reported that they had heard cars coming in. It was a nice sunny day again so Brett had decided to go out. He did like to keep his suntan topped up.
So the whole team was out today. It was 11am on a hot sunny morning in July. And for the few people who were still keeping the date it was Monday the Twenty Eighth of July 2014.
They were out in their green Defender Land Rover. Brett loved it because it was just like an army one. As usual Mervin was driving and Brett was in the front passenger seat with his feet up on the dashboard. The others were being thrown around on the two side facing bench seats in the back as Mervin drove manically around the deserted town.
Brett suddenly clapped his large hands together making Mervin jump. ‘Ok that’s enough of this driving around bollocks! Let’s head for the pier now,’ Brett told him. ‘The stupid fucks always go there. It’s like they think they’re on fucking holiday or something.’
Mervin laughed then and spun the jeep around.
Although they were supposed to be out looking for salvage, Brett’s team rarely brought anything back. He couldn’t be bothered with all the searching through dusty buildings and carrying it back to the hotel. He preferred the action that came with looking for outsiders. Everyone knew that the pier was always the best place to pick them up. So the cars that had been heard last night would most likely be down there somewhere. None of the other teams would seek them out because everyone also knew that going to the pier was another one of Brett’s privileges.
Down on the beach, Nick, Bill and Beth were lying on new beach towels as Dan, Kay and Sammy raced down the sand to be the first one into the sea.
They had spent the night in the hotel, which was musty and damp, with anything useful already taken, even the bed linen. There had been no food or water to be found there either so they had all been up early this morning. They had eaten a strange breakfast of biscuits and tinned rice. It was just about all they had left now, then they had gone for a walk around, finding a small beach shop they had helped themselves to swimming costumes and beach towels.
Nick had picked out some swimming shorts and a t-shirt but they were still lying next to his towel as he debated to himself. He wasn't sure if it was safe enough here for him to take off his clothes and weapons to go for a swim. He was very hot, he badly needed a wash and his knives and pouches felt heavy around his waist, but he was on edge. He looked over at Beth and then Bill. There was a strange sense of excitement in the others. Even Bill seemed happy lying there on his towel, Nick thought. If you didn’t think about it too much you could look around at the clear blue sky and calm sea and imagine that they were just a bunch of friends on a summer holiday.
Nick closed his eyes, lay back and listened to the tiny waves lapping onto the golden sand. He could also hear the white gulls as they cried out to each other overhead. He was just starting to let himself relax a bit when another sound intruded into the quiet beach-like bliss. It was a sound that he now knew he had been waiting for. The sound of a car engine coming this way.
Nick sat up. ‘Beth,’ he said calmly. ‘Go get the kids and take them under the pier. Someone is coming this way in a car.’
Beth looked at him worriedly then quickly sprang up and ran down to the sea. He could see her gesturing wildly at the kids. They had all swam out a little way and he knew that she would be trying not to shout to them. He watched worriedly as they noticed her at last and then began to swim in. Bill sat up, hearing the car engine now as well. He looked at Nick and raised his eyebrows.
‘How ya’ gonna play this one out then?’ he asked. ‘If you’re lucky I suppose they might start fighting each other again.’ He slowly stood up and brushed the sand off his dirty black jeans. Nick looked back at him and tried to think about what to do, but all that popped into his head was that the big fella was going to have trouble finding some new clothes.
‘I thought about hiding and hoping that they’d just drive right by,’ he replied, looking around for some inspiration. The main problem was that he didn’t know the area very well.
‘They might already know we’re here,’ Bill said.
‘They might not.’
‘Well it’s either hide or meet them. They might be friendly. They might not. They might already know we’re here. They might not. Your choice boss man.’
It looked to Nick that Bill didn’t seem all that bothered either way. He stood up.
‘Well my advice is that we hide first and then hit them when they’re not looking. We need to find a place where we can see them if they come here, but somewhere that they can’t see us. There’s that aquarium place up there,’ he suggested, but then thought that it might not be so nice in there anymore. ‘Or up by the pier would probably be better. We’ll be close to them if they pull up near there. Maybe we can deal with them. If it goes tits up the others can stay hidden.’
‘It’s half a plan,’ Bill said then set off lumbering towards the steps leading up to the promenade. Nick followed behind thoughtfully. He could hear the car more clearly now. It was definitely getting closer. He could hear the changing gears and the slowing and speeding up. Though now he thought it sounded more like a van. Bill seemed in no hurry and he was obviously not worried about who was coming. Like Nick he had probably seen his fair share of action since the change. The virus, he corrected himself. He didn’t want to face another speech like that again.
They made it into a smashed up shop in front of the pier. The windows had been smashed out but there was a low wall. They went behind it and crouched down in the dust and broken glass just as a green Land Rover came racing in and pulled up about twenty feet from them. They then watched as four men jumped out of the back of the Land Rover carrying baseball bats. Two of them ran off down onto the beach on the other side of the pier. The other two went down the steps this side.
‘Shit!’ Nick swore.
‘We’ll have to help them.’ Bill started to stand.
‘Wait!’ Nick whispered.
‘No way boss man! I took a beating and lost my brother to try and keep those girls safe. I’ll not see them harmed now by scum like these.’ He started to stand up.
‘Just wait a second big fella please,’ Nick asked him. ‘Calm down a bit. You’ll do them no good storming out there. There are six of them. Four got out and ran round to go under the pier. Two stayed in the vehicle.’ Nick s
cratched at his head, thinking. ‘They’ve done this before and they definitely do not look friendly. We have to assume that they will catch Beth and the kids.’ He turned his head towards Bill. Bill looked angry. ‘Look, I want to help them as much as you do.’ He told him.
‘I doubt it,’ Bill said angrily.
‘Ok you doubt it for a bit, but just listen while you’re doing it.’ He paused to make sure he had Bills attention. He did. ‘First we don’t know who they are or what they want. Second, there are six of them and only two of us, and we must assume that they have Beth and the kids. Normally I wouldn’t give a shit about all that, but for some strange reason I do now. We can’t risk the others getting hurt.’ The thought was a strange one for Nick. He was still coming to terms with himself about actually caring about anything or anyone. It certainly added complications to his life.
‘Ok, what then?’ Bill sat back down onto the floor and rubbed at his head. ‘What’s your plan then?’
‘We need more info. We have to wait for a better opportunity. Act don’t react. Let’s see what they are doing. It’s obvious that they’ve done this before but we need to know why? What do they want?’
Chapter sixteen
After finally getting the kids out of the water Beth quickly told them that someone was coming and that they were to follow her. She then ran under the pier with the kids following close behind. She saw a dark corner and she ran for it.
‘Come on!’ she told them. ‘Everybody get in here and keep really quiet.’
They all hunched down and huddled together. Dan was finding it really embarrassing huddling together with the girls when they were all almost naked, but he was also cold now and scared so he stayed still.
‘Where’s Nick?’ he asked, shivering. ‘Who’s coming?’
‘Shush!’ both Sammy and Kay whispered together. Fear overriding their embarrassment.
They heard a car pull up somewhere close above them and then the sound of running feet. Then they all went absolutely still as the footsteps hit the sand on both sides of the pier. They huddled even closer, all shaking from either fear or cold or both. Suddenly they were blinded as the underside of the pier was lit up. Four very bright torches were switched on and they were all pointed right at them.
‘Haha,’ one of the men with the torches laughed. ‘You stupid fucks always hide in the same place. Come on, out you come then.’
‘Just leave us alone!’ Dan shouted, standing up and moving to the front. ‘We haven’t done anything.’
Beth stood up as well, trying to shield the girls from the men.
‘Can’t do that now can we lad? Seeing as how we came all this way just to get you. Come on out then. Our boss would like to meet you. Three women?’ he said playing his torch over them appreciatively and coming closer. ‘And a skinny boy-Are you the mum?’ he asked, pointing the torch straight at Beth. The three other men closed in around them to stop any desperate attempts to run. They all held baseball bats and they were ready to use them. It was too hot today for them to go chasing around on the beach.
‘I’m the mum,’ Beth said. ‘So who are you?’ She was surprised that her voice sounded so steady. She was so scared that her legs were shaking. She wondered where Nick and Bill were. She tried to look past the bright torches, desperately hoping to see them both coming up behind the men.
‘My name’s Darren. What’s yours mum?’
‘My name is Beth. This is Dan.’ Beth pointed at him. ‘And this is Kay and Sammy. We just came here last night. We won’t cause you any trouble.’ She had started shivering all over now.
‘Oh, we already know that. Come on then. You can all come out of there. Stand up now girls. Let’s get a good look at you.’
Beth was disgusted by his tone. ‘Can the kids at least go and put their clothes on?’ she asked. ‘They’re freezing cold.’
‘Maybe, after we’ve seen Brett. Come on! The quicker we get going the quicker they can get dressed. Don’t be shy now girls.’ The other men laughed at that. ‘There’s nothing to worry about.’ He then spoke over his shoulder. ‘Lads! Have a good check around. See if there’s anyone else.’ He turned to face Beth again. ‘Is there anyone else with you?’ he asked.
Beth shook her head. ‘No,’ she told him quietly.
‘No? Are you sure?’ He looked at her unconvinced and then turned to the men. ‘Well go on then! Not you Lexy,’ he told one of the men. ‘You stay with me. We’ll take these four to Brett. You’d better have a good look around,’ he told the other two.
‘Who the fuck put you in charge Daz?’ one of the other men asked harshly.
‘Come on Bazza. It’s a good idea,’ the other man said, patting his mate on the shoulder. Barry muttered something under his breath and then they both walked slowly away, playing their torches over the other dark places under the pier.
‘Right you lot! Walk that way,’ Darren ordered, pointing. ‘Nice and slow please. Follow young Lexy here, and don’t even think about running.’ He swung his bat menacingly.
Beth was scared. This was in no way a normal situation, but she knew that they had no choice. The thought that Nick and Bill were out there somewhere gave her a little strength. ‘Come on kids.’ She beckoned to the girls to come out from the dark corner. ‘It’ll be ok,’ she said, trying to stay calm.
‘But I’m scared mum,’ Kay told her, shivering.
‘I know darling but we have no choice. We have to go with the men for now. At least it’s warmer out there in the sunshine.’
The girls came out slowly, giving fearful glances at the men then they started to follow the young man in front. Darren followed close behind them and they all walked back out into the sunshine. Beth was right. It was at least warm back out in the sunshine.
‘Up the steps now,’ Darren told them. ‘Quickly now!’
They followed the young lad up the steps onto the promenade to see a green Land Rover sitting there. Two other men were standing by it, broad grins on their faces.
‘Hello ladies,’ one of them said as they came closer.
Beth suddenly froze. Images of Jeff lifting her up by her neck filled her mind. This man could be his double, only he was even bigger, and even more heavily muscled.
‘Welcome to sunny Bournemouth,’ the huge man said, seeing their fear and enjoying it. He clapped his hands together then loudly before saying, ‘we hope you have a nice stay with us. My name’s Brett and I’m your holiday rep.’ All of the other men laughed, finding this very funny. Beth was terrified. She stepped out in front of the girls, just as Dan stepped out in front of her. There was some small comfort from his move, but he was obviously no match for these men. For the tenth time she wondered where Nick and Bill were.
Nick and Bill watched as Beth and the kids were brought up the steps and taken over to the Land Rover. They heard the big blonde haired bloke introduce himself and they heard the other men laughing.
‘Two of them are still under the pier,’ Nick said quietly. ‘Probably looking around to see if there’s anyone else.’
‘If we’d have gone under the pier we could have taken them two out,’ Bill whispered back.
‘Hindsight is brilliant eh?’ He grinned. ‘It’s too late to worry about that now. Here they come anyway.’
The other two men came running up the steps and joined the group by the Jeep. Bill and Nick watched as the two men shook their heads.
‘What’s their game I wonder?’ Nick whispered.
‘If we don’t do something they’re gonna fuck the girls and kill the boy,’ Bill told him angrily.
‘No this is different,’ Nick said thoughtfully. ‘Just wait for a bit and see what they do next. Let me think.’ As he spoke he saw the big ginger haired guy pull a radio handset from the Land Rover.
‘Hotel! This is R one-over.’ They could hear him clearly from where they were hidden.
They couldn’t understand the reply though. It was too full of static.
‘We have a pick up at the pier. Over
.’
There was more static and then a distorted voice.
‘Three, over. I repeat. Three.’
They could see him smiling.
‘Yeah, three women and no men. Get someone over here. We aint got room for them all in the Rover- Over and out.’
They watched him replace the radio handset back into the vehicle and turn back to the others. He was still smiling.
‘This is fucked up shit man,’ Bill said in frustration. ‘We gotta take them now! Before anyone else fuckin’ turns up. Fuck but there’s loads of them, and more on the way. What a fuckin’ stupid idea. Fuckin’ swimming at the beach like a bunch of fuckin’ idiots. What were we thinking of?’
‘We relaxed,’ Nick said calmly. ‘But you’re right. We have to take them now! No choice. You stay down,’ he told the big man quietly. ‘Come out when you think it is right and come out as fast as you can.’ Then he just stood up.
The ginger haired bloke saw him first, but it was only because he just happened to be looking his way. Nine other heads quickly turned in his direction though.
‘Hello!’ Nick called over to them. ‘What a nice day it is today.’
All of the men suddenly looked confused. Beth and the girls looked relieved though and Dan was smiling broadly. He remembered the last time that Nick had walked towards a group of men in a similar situation to this.
‘Nick!’ Dan shouted in relief, before starting to move towards him. One of the men held out his baseball bat though, blocking his way.
‘Hi Dan,’ Nick called over to him, glancing at the man but still smiling. He then turned his attention back to the other men. ‘Hi guys. I’ve never been to Bournemouth before,’ he told them as he picked his way around the low wall of the shop front, glass crunching underfoot.
‘Big fucking deal arshole!’ Brett shouted back. He had been shocked when Nick had showed himself but he had quickly recovered and now he took command harshly. He was relieved that his men had been facing away from him. Glad that none of them had seen him startled. ‘Now you get over here with the others!’ he told Nick as he looked around. ‘If there’s anyone fucking else hiding around here you stupid bastard, then they’d better come out now. Before I start to really get fucking annoyed!’
New World: Nick Smith Book one (Nick Smith Series 1) Page 10
